Twirl
by Lady Briett
Summary: Uchiha Fugaku knows what his fate will soon be: death. But who says fate cannot be changed?
1. Chapter 1

My name is Uchiha Fugaku.

I am forty years old.

And I am dying.

In retrospect, I should have seen this coming. There was no way the Uchiha clan could have overtaken Konoha. Even if we have more power, they have more people. Quantity over quality. Our kekkei genkai is quite powerful, but Sharingan no Kakashi, as much as I am loathe to admit it, is one of its best users. And he is nothing if not loyal to the leaf.

Then again, hindsight is always 20/20. Grand speeches and verbosity got most of the Uchiha to join with me. Those speeches deluded them, but so did they delude me.

Mikoto groans beside me. Out of the corner of my eye I can just barely make out Inabi, one of the most loyal, contorted in an unnatural and presumably quite painful position. I don't want to see anything anymore, so I close my eyes. Let me spend my last few minutes on this Earth in blissful darkness, rather than lying outside my own house, with my traitorous, precious, horrible son clutching the bloody sword that did me in stalking about.

Sasuke is nowhere to be seen. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. Itachi loves no one more than his brother, and if he were to spare anyone, it would most certainly be Sasuke. Who would then be left alone, to stew in thoughts and drown in misery that would probably either end in a bottle of sake and sleeping pills, or on some futile quest for revenge. He's an Uchiha; our love for revenge is almost as great as our love for mind games.

I can feel my life slipping away by the second. Yomi will be no great relief. From the pain, for sure, but not from much else. There has been a little said of a religion, far away, whose believers think that the afterlife is a paradise, but Yomi is the opposite. Well, perhaps that is a bit strong: it's no shadowy pit of torment. Rather, just a dismal plain in which the dead spend their eternity.

"Goodbye, Fugaku," whispers my wife. I feel her feathery touch on my skin.

"Goodbye, Mikoto," I whisper back. Then her hand falls away, and I know that she is no longer. I also know that I am not to live much longer.

And just like that, I can no longer feel my body. I don't want to see the no doubt horribly gloomy Yomi, but at the same time, something is calling to me to look. So I do.

…and I am in a room which looks nothing like any interpretation of the afterlife I have ever read. There are three women seemingly unconscious (or perhaps dead themselves) on the floor, each clad in white robes.

"Where am I?" I demand. Surely this is a result of some kami playing tricks…why, I have no idea, but it is quite irritating nonetheless.

"Shh," says an unseen voice. It is familiar, just enough to be recognizable, but not enough to place. "You won't believe the amount of work I've had to do for this."

"For what?" I say, in a far softer tone than before. The person/being/kami behind this is undoubtedly quite powerful-and thus, someone I don't want to make angry.

"Giving you a second chance," says the voice. I start to compose a reply, but before I can, everything is spinning, and I can see blurs of various lands, all different than before. One seems like the description of Yomi I have read, and then it comes to me. That was someone else's afterlife, and so are all of these. One has winged creatures, the next men fighting bloody battles, and all are very strange.

Then I can feel my body again. Except it's not. The subtle pains of oncoming middle age are gone. Then I notice my surroundings. I am in a hospital room, evident from the white walls and the lab-coated doctor in front of me. The person lying on the bed is screaming.

Peering closer, I realise that person is Mikoto. And she is not the Mikoto of earlier either-she's younger, (dare I say) prettier, and, oddly, plumper. A split second later the doctor is holding a baby. A boy, crying loudly, as babies do.

The man turns to me, smiling genially.

"Congratulations, you're a father," he says, before handing the child to the nurse.

Being as self-disciplined as I am, I don't gape, but I am shocked nonetheless. _A second chance_…I had assumed that meant going back to when I first started planning the coup, but apparently I was wrong.

For that newborn _my son _is Itachi. It is hard to reconcile this scene with that of the one I was in but a few minutes (seemingly) earlier. The overly loyal, overly adult, scowling, mocking thirteen year old, full of scornful laughter, with the infant currently being swaddled by a nurse. The picture of innocence. A second chance, not only to be a better clan head, but also a better parent.

It is all like a dream. I have wished for something like this before, when Itachi told me of his latest terrible mission in a terrible monotone, when I found myself yelling at Sasuke for not being good enough. To actually have it happen is…it's indescribable.

Mikoto smiles at me tiredly, and I cannot help but remember her last words to me. I will not let _that _happen again. Perhaps I will even be able to prevent the Kyuubi attack from happening, stop Madara (as even I know it was him responsible) in his tracks, make it so no one would have a reason to suggest a coup. (Then again, we had always been marginalised…)

_No, no, no _whispers my mind. _Don't think about that. Your son was just born. Be happy._

I am rarely happy, but right now I am full of joy. Everything is beautiful. Nothing hurts.

Life, for the first time in what seems like forever, is good.

My name is Uchiha Fugaku.

I am twenty seven years old.

And I am living.


	2. Chapter 2

I am sitting in a chair.

I am sitting in a chair in the hospital.

I am sitting in a chair in the hospital's maternity ward.

I am sitting in a chair in the hospital's maternity ward, holding a baby.

I am sitting in a chair in the hospital's maternity ward, holding a baby who in a previous lifetime had grown up to kill me.

As you can imagine, it is quite surreal. Mikoto and Itachi (she insisted on the name, despite my rather vocal protestations. She can be quite scary when she wants to be) are about ready to go home. She is talking to the nurse about how to prevent sudden infant death syndrome, or some other overhyped condition.

We are leaving now, and she takes Itachi from my arms, much to my silent delight. It's just too…_weird _is the best word I can think of. His dark eyes are brighter and bigger, his face chubbier, but I can still tell, still tell he is the same boy that killed me.

I have really _got _to stop thinking that. My son is as innocent as…well, a three day old babe. It wouldn't be fair or right to him to constantly have his…other incarnation, shall I say, in the back of my mind.

"Dear, I know this is all quite new and exciting, but you still need to look where you're going," says Mikoto wryly. I blink. In front of me there is a tree.

Soon we are at the house. The Uchiha district…no, this is not big enough to be called a district. There are maybe seven houses and one shop. After the Kyuubi attack, everyone else moved over here, either because their house was destroyed or because they thought it would be safer. (Or because the Hokage was herding us into a pen.) No, no, no, I mustn't think such thoughts…

The whole clan seems to have turned out to see us, though. My sister-in-law, Toyotama, rushes up to us, dark brown hair flying out behind her.

"Toyo-chan!" says Mikoto excitedly. "I'd hug you, but…"

"He's so _cute_!" she squees. "I rushed home from my mission because I knew you were due soon! Oh, but he has your eyes!"

The flowers on her coffin were purple, weren't they?

"Perhaps sometime soon you will have one of your own," my wife teases. Toyotama is her youngest sibling and the flightiest, if I recall correctly.

"Aww, aww, nee-chan, I'm only sixteen, much too young to be thinking about that sort of thing," she mock whines in response.

"Give it time," I counsel sagely, just because I want to see the looks on their faces.

"Congratulations," says a man from behind. He walks in front of us. "I'm sure your son will be just as smart as you are, Mikoto…and just as pretty as you, Fugaku."

"Aww, thanks," I say, rolling my eyes. Who is this? He's an Uchiha, obviously, but…

"Perhaps Itachi and Shisui will be friends," says Mikoto brightly. _Oh_. He was one of my fellow conspirators, but the man here is unrecognizable as the one he was (will be?) thirteen years from now. Takahashi fell into drink and depression after his eldest, Obito, died in the war, worsened later by his wife divorcing him. The wretched shell of a person I had last seen was nothing like the person in front of me, grinning, eyes bright.

"Oh, I shudder to think of the havoc they would cause," he said, overdramatically, outstretching his arm. "Why, last week, he-no, I won't tell you, wouldn't want to scare you so quickly."

There are more well-wishers about, old aunties wishing to dispense advice, while grizzled veterans look on from the background with darting eyes. They are the war hawks, the most dangerous ones in the clan. _At the moment, anyway_. One of them was even on the same genin team as Shimura Danzo, I believe. They will want to turn Itachi into a weapon for the clan, I just know it. _Whereas last time it was you…_a voice that sounds suspiciously like Itachi himself whispers darkly in the back of my mind.

I really do need to stop thinking these sort of things. I am Uchiha Fugaku. I am twenty seven, young, newly a father, loyal to Konoha. I am not forty, tired, conspiratorial, angry, unhappy. Perhaps if I keep saying that I will force myself into believing it. This all still seems like such a dream.

Someone seems to have already baby-proofed everything for us, thankfully: I remember how irritating doing that was when Sasuke was born. Oh-there is Matoshi, kneeling in front of a cabinet.

"Thank you _so much_," I gush. He turns, seeming somewhat shocked by my tone of voice, and responds, "Hey, hey, it's nothing, really, besides, you helped me rebuild my house after that fire, didn't you? Figured this was the least I could do."

"Not that I don't appreciate it," says Mikoto, "But do you actually know what you're doing?"

"'Course!" he says, sounding mildly offended. "I'm not that incompetent, y'know!"

"Tch," says someone beside him. "You can't even boil water without burning it., nii-san. But don't worry, _I_ have directions." He turns, and I realise with a start that it is Inabi. Inabi, who once went on a half-hour rant on Matoshi still being a genin at thirty. They were…brothers? Were the Uchiha really that focused on strength to turn brother against brother?

The second after I wonder that I regret it. The answer is yes, obviously, considering the highest form of our kekkei genkai can only be reached by taking the eyes of a sibling. That is one of the few things I could never stomach about the clan. It seems almost as barbaric as the Caged Bird Seal. Perhaps I, being the clan head and all, will be able to change that mentality.

But…now is not the time for idealistic visions and dreams. Now is the time to smile at…at my _family, _my beautiful wife and my beautiful son, and to follow her upstairs and put Itachi the bassinet we already have, white lace on cherry, and not think about anything other than right now.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** well, here ye are: a new chapter! I guess I've broken my two-chapter curse again...not much happens here , but Fugaku is a not-much-happens kind of guy.

* * *

><p>I groan. It is three in the morning. Three in the morning, when all but the guards of the wall are sleeping. Or <em>should <em>be, at any rate.

I'd forgotten how…demanding babies could be. Itachi is cradled in my arms, suckling on a bottle. Last time, I think I let Mikoto do most of this work, but now I'm going to at least try to parent equally. And she is exhausted, because while I am at work she is home, dealing with…our child… all day.

Still, though, I would not trade this for anything. The past few weeks have been…what word can I use to describe them? _Euphoric, _I suppose, would be the best fit. The first few battles of the war are being fought, but Konoha is only peripherally involved. Everyone is alive and happy. There is no paperwork piling up on my desk, reports of arson that turn out to be buildings, badly built by genin after the Kyuubi attack, lighting aflame at the slightest spark. No angry Uchiha, clamouring for blood, planning revenge and a coup. They may rant about the Senju and the Hokage, here, but in the end they are as loyal as any other shinobi of Konoha.

Itachi stops crying, and I lay him back in the bassinet. He has a strange expression, something like a smile, but in a way that makes it seem like he doesn't quite know how. Thankfully, though, that is because he is a baby, and not because he has been trained to remove all emotion.

I lie down myself, next to Mikoto, who is tossing, slightly, under the sheets. She functions even less well than I do with this lack of sleep. The same happened when Sasuke was born, and Takahashi suggested then that it was because of my tendency to pull all-nighters whenever there was an important police matter, instead of waiting for the morning. He was right then, and he probably still is. _This_ time around , I swear, I will not neglect my family for my work.

We were very disjointed, especially near the end. Itachi was always off on some mission or another. Me, hunched over my desk. Mikoto, at her garden club or bridge club or mah-jongg club or some other thing. Sasuke, furiously training, in an effort to…to…make me proud. The times when we were together were always extremely awkward, Sasuke staring in idolatry at Itachi, who was glowering at me, with Mikoto downing the vodka she told other people was water.

I can feel myself falling asleep, and it's sort of like dying. I look up and Itachi's eyes meet mine and suddenly I have a sudden urge to turn over, into my pillow, and never get up again.

* * *

><p>In the morning I make breakfast for us while Mikoto feeds Itachi. Absently I wonder who will come over today, because everyone wants to see the baby-and dispense advice. Everyone, whether they be an old auntie or a spinster or a fifteen year old chuunin, seems to have a different idea on how best to parent. As I am away for most of the day, Mikoto is left to bear the brunt of most of them, but the ones that come when I am home annoy me almost as much as they annoy her, if not more so.<p>

Some of them are plainly stupid, but others…the ones who have actually had children, raised them to adulthood, say things that actually seem to be good advice. And they annoy me, because I know I did not follow that advice last time.

"Reading to your child is important," said my third cousin Mori, handing me his children's old board books. I _had _read to Itachi…books on political economy and class warfare, books_ I_ enjoyed and understood.

"_Under no circumstances _force him before he's ready," said Ake Erika, civilian friend of Mikoto's, flipping long blonde hair over her shoulder. She meant things like "walking" and "talking" I'm sure, but her words took on a more sinister meaning to me. How many times had I made Itachi practice another kata when all he wanted to do was chase after butterflies? I shake such images from my head. That reality exists no longer.

I set food down on our table-high, in that imported style. Eventually I had insisted on a traditional one, but now we sit on stiff chairs, and eat scrambled eggs with forks. The house is so much the same, yet so much different. Bright, abstract paintings line the walls, instead of subdued imagery. Hastily tossed together bouquets are in the vases, instead of minimalist arrangements. The vases themselves are plastic, not glass, as I am not yet as prosperous as I would later be. Will be? Was? The issue of tense is hurting my brain. There is a language, spoken in a far away land-Chugokugo, it might be called-that has no tenses, and for a brief moment I wish we had none as well.

After eating my meal, I kiss Mikoto and head towards the door.

"When will you be home?" she asks.

_Depends on how much work I've got._, I want to say, but instead reply with, "Five." I won't ignore my family again, I won't.

Again I am amazed at how small the not-really-a-district is. I have been seeing it this way for two months and it's still strange. _All _of Konoha is strange, really. The Hokage monument, with its three faces. Those old homes by the west wall, moved during the war for fear of an attack by Iwa, still stand in the place where they were built seventy years ago. Everywhere there are more people. It's hard…hard not to remember their funerals and grievous injuries.

My fellow police officers are happier, too. As I enter the building, Yoshiro greets me cheerily and Manabu waves jauntily. The cold politeness and stiff bows I was once awarded are gone. Why…why had it changed? Surely that change was my fault, but what had I done? In thirteen years how could I have changed so much.

And for the thousandth time, two images spring into my mind, one of Itachi as he was ten minutes ago, small and bright, held by his mother, and one of him as he was…will be…whatever…tall and dark, _killing_ his mother. I really, really, need to stop this. Therapists are supposed to be confidential, aren't they?

The paperwork I have is less but more troubling, in a way. War is on our horizon; even were I not…from the future, it would be evident. Right now, I think they're calling it a "territorial dispute" or maybe a "civilian-based disturbance of the peace", but in a short time they cannot deny what it is. Most are unaware, but the reports I have-of Iwa merchants being beaten by Kusa immigrants and drunken civilians surrounding returning ninja and asking if they've "killed them some puppet" or other such words. It is worrisome, but at least I have the benefit of knowing we will win.


	4. Chapter 4

**FUGAKKKUUU-CHAN! **

Oh. My. _God. _How had I forgotten about her? …could I jump out my window before she got here? I eyed the glass, opened slightly to allow a breeze. Hmmm…

Then the door is thrown open, so hard it hits the wall of the hallway. And in steps…

My terrifying, disturbed, awe-inspiring sister. Uchiha Kanade. She's…sort of a combination of Obito and Itachi (the _other_ Itachi) and Mitarashi Anko and sometimes Orochimaru and occasionally Jiraiya. Luckily she goes on long term missions a lot.

Her clothes are as skin bearing as ever. They are intensely impractical; her shirt, a lurid green, is acceptable in terms of public decency, but her midriff is utterly bare, and her short trousers seem to be made of spandex or another thin, easily pierced material.

Kanade bounds over to me. Long, unbound dark hair skews out in all directions. I brace myself for what will happen next…

As she squeezes me into a tight hug. Not quite tight enough to impair my breathing, but almost.

"Eh, eh, no hello for your beloved nee-chan?" she asks cheerily. "I'm back in this burg for another two weeks!" The irritating woman even has the nerve to ruffle my hair.

"Hello," I say. "Is that good?" It isn't that she dislikes Konoha _per se_…it's more that she finds it intolerably boring most of the time.

Kanade grins. "Well, in the sense that I get to spend time with my adorable little brother, yes!"

I twitch. Hopefully she doesn't know about Itachi. She would corrupt him just like the old veterans would, but in a different way. Inwardly I shudder at how terrible he would grow up to be if he spent a lot of time with her…a greater hellion than Shisui could ever dream of being, for sure. Well, at least Shisui before-

"You heard about Iwa and that?" she asks, her loud voice jarring as ever.

"A little. There's been some…incidents that, ihh, may be related to that territorial dispute…" Seeing as the Konoha Military Police is sort of a government agency, I feel I should use the official term, in case we're being watched.

"Don't give me that damn _euphemism_, Fugaku. I know what it is, and you know what it is. It's a war. And I'll bet my hairbrush that Konoha will be involved within the year."

For Kanade, that means she's nearly positive it'll happen. She's very possessive of her hairbrushes.

"Be that as it may," I say, sighing a tiny bit, "We aren't involved yet. Therefore it is of mostly no concern to Konoha, although I believe missives have been sent to all shinobi doing long term work in that area to be especially careful." I absently shuffle a few papers, hoping she'll think I have Important Work and go away soon. I love her, I really do, but she is _very _loud.

"Stop giving me all the official blather!" My sister manages to raise her voice a few decibels. The walls in this building are thick, but they are not _that _thick. "I saw Iwa ninja waltzing into Kusa like they owned it! Dozens of them! Some of them within twenty kilometres of Kusa's border with the Land of Fire! A border which is only three days from _here_!"

I blink, fairly shocked. I was aware that the daimyo had sent some of his soldiers, trained in only taijutsu and weaponry, to deal with the issue, and that there had been some fairly serious fighting, but I thought it was far from us.

Suddenly, the door bursts open again. There is Obito, his goggles askew and his face slightly ruddy, like he was running as fast as he could to get here. Strange. "Fuga-ku-san!" He sounds like he was running, too, with those long pauses between the syllables. "Kono-hagakure no Sa-to has-has-declared war on-on-Iwa!" With that he collapses onto the floor. A piece of paper falls from his unclenched hand to the floor, and from here I can see it has the Hokage's official letterhead on it. Oh my.

My sister picks it up, glances at it, and slams it on my desk.

"Well, well, what do you know it? I was right!…as usual, of course." I roll my eyes before reading the letter. It reads:

**UCHIHA FUGAKU**

You have been designated to inform the Konoha Military Police and the Uchiha Clan that Konohagakure no Sato has declared war on Iwagakure no Sato. Additional patrols need to be scheduled so as to better keep watch for spies within our borders. Please also note that a draft has been instated, and all able ninja currently on any form of non-combat duty aside from hospital medic-nin may be called to fight. Notices for physical examinations to determine who is able will be sent out within the week.

All trips out of Konoha for purposes other than fighting will need to be approved by the Hokage's Office. Civilians will not be allowed to make any trips that go within forty kilometres of the border with Kusa no Kuni, and are advised not to travel alone.

_Sarutobi Hiruzen_

_Sandaime Hokage no Konoha_

I drop the paper on my desk. It is still warm from the printer, and the ink from the Hokage's signature is still wet. Which probably explains why Obito is so exhausted.

Even though I knew this was coming, it's still horrifying. I look down at the boy slumped on the ground. He can't be more than ten. And unless I do something, he won't live to see fifteen. And Itachi…

I remember, after it was all over, after he had seen his aunts and uncles and cousins come back missing a limb or an eye or a life, after he had seen houses explode from remotely-detonated Iwa bombs, after all the funerals and wariness and loss, those bright black eyes that looked into mine this morning were far less bright.

I can't let that happen to him again. I can't. I won't. There is a time when one has to be exposed to the horrors of the world…and whatever that age may be, it certainly isn't two.


	5. Chapter 5

Obito has gotten off the floor and is now sitting on top of my desk. Normally I would yell at him, but right now there are more pressing issues. Kanade is leaning against the wall, staring at herself in a looking glass.

"Well, maybe you should just tell, like, I'unno, Yoshiro-oji-san and, ihh, ihh, Hikaru-nee, and be done with it," suggests the boy.

Yoshiro I can understand, as he always seems to be flitting through everyone else's offices, but Hikaru? I can't for the life of me remember who she is.

Then-

"_Will she survive?" I ask, cautiously. Next to me stands Uchiha Kosuke and his wife, Nami. They are anxious, and I cannot blame them._

"_Yes," responds the doctor, and I hear two sighs of relief. "She will have permanent scarring on her legs and arms and possibly nerve damage, but she's going to survive." _

Oh. Now I remember. She never amounted to much of anything by most people's standards, but she was very kind. And very gossipy.

"That _would_ be easier, but they'd have it spun forty different ways before lunch time. I'll tell everyone myself."

"I'll come!" says Obito chipperly. Kanade stands up and nods her agreement. This will be interesting.

The office closest to mine is Yoshiro's. He isn't in it half the time, but I open it anyway. It is neat and orderly; the only decoration is a bright blue folding fan hanging on the wall.

"Maybe you should leave him a note," says Kanade. She picks up a yellow sticky note and a pencil from his desk. "Hmm…Dear Yoshiro-san. Konoha declared war on Iwa. Have a nice day."

I snatch it out of her hand wordlessly. She can be _so _annoying sometimes.

Next to Yoshiro's is Keiichi's. His door is open, but I knock on the frame anyway. Politeness is important. Especially in front of those of a more…ah…crass disposition. His office is still fairly neat, but assorted knickknacks sit on his papers, and a tea cup wobbles unsteadily on top of an overturned book.

"Come in," he says, not even bothering to turn around.

"Keiichi-san-" I begin to say, but he cuts me off.

"Oh, hey, Fugaku-san! Hey, you know anything about the Nakamura case? I've got three, no _four _guys up in here in the last hour asking me about it." He spins around in his chair to face me.

"Keiichi-san. I'm here to tell you that-that-" I don't want to say it. I know that not mentioning something won't make it go away, but…

"Konoha declared war on Iwa," says Kanade, blunt as always. He does not look surprised, but rather shrugs and replies,

"Yeah, what else is new? It was so obviously going to happen even Tanezane could see it." He spins back around and goes back to his work. Tanezane is one of the few left with the Mangekyo Sharingan, and he is nearly blind because of it.

"Well," whispers Obito as we walk out, "That certainly wasn't the reaction _I_ was expecting."

"If you'd pay more attention to the political climate like Keiichi-chan does, you would be just as unsurprised as he was," my sister says patting his head. She uses -chan for practically _everyone_.

Next to Keiichi's office is Taro's. I can hear that he and others are having some kind of heated discussion. Taro is, I will admit, kind of scary. And not even in the traditional Uchiha scary way, with long graceful limbs and a maniacal laugh and eyes that glint red even without the Sharingan. He's more scary in the hired thug kind of way.

Obito seems to know that too, so he asks if maybe we should skip his office and assume it'll get around by the end of the day. Kanade however had other plans. She flounces over to the door, and with a overly cheery "Be brave, boys!" pushes it open.

Their conversation stops immediately. A spoon drops on the floor.

"Well, well, if it isn't my dear cousin, Fugaku!" Taro walks over to me and claps me on the back. It hurts. "Lookin' gorgeous as always, Kanade!" Obito seems to have disappeared. I can't blame him. "So what brings you two here today?"

I draw myself up to my full height (only 175.3 centimetres, damn it) and in my stiffest voice announce, "Konohagure no Sato has declared war on Iwagakure no Sato. All able ninja are…being recalled to active duty." Oh my _god_, I had forgotten that part…I really didn't want to go off to war. The second was bad enough.

The men before me are fairly shocked. Hmm…who are they? Taro, obviously…Tsuneoki…Reito and Meito…oh, and Yoshiro, in the corner. That's good, I guess.

"No allowances for young children?" asks Tsuneoki. In the previous war, if you were a guardian of infants, defined as six and under, and the sole breadwinner, you could get an exemption for fighting. Our orphanages are full enough already. The letter wasn't quite clear enough for me to answer it, but I remember what it is from…the last time.

"No. No exceptions except for hospital medic-nin." He slumps in his chair. Tsuneoki is one of the few non-Uchiha in the police force, although I suspect a lot of the others don't realise that; he has brown hair and blue eyes so dark they appear black most of the time.

"Aren't you a bit young to have children?" asks Reito, or possibly Meito. They're identical twins and take great pleasure in confusing everyone with that.

"Not mine," he responds, fringe falling into his eyes. "My sister's. They're both under three…and my ma and pa aren't really-well they're-not quite there anymore. I can't-I can't let them-" with that he abruptly stops. He isn't crying, but I can tell he wants to. "I mean I-I want to serve Konoha sure but-family comes first."

"Tsuneoki-san," I say, in my kindest voice, and-and I cannot believe I'm saying this but-"If-if you fall in battle I'll-I'll make sure they're taken care of." He smiles, and thanks me gratuitously. I smile a little back, and realising I've been in here far too long, walk back into the hallway, with Kanade behind me. As soon as she shuts the door, their discussion continues again. I hope it's work related.


	6. Chapter 6

The rest of this hallway is rooms that I doubt anyone is in-archival rooms full of dusty filing cabinets containing records of cases from before I was born, a broom closet, storage. The stairs down to the second floor are at the very end.

"Hey, Fugaku-san?" asks Obito quietly.

"Yes?" This better not be some stupid question. When Itachi was his age he delighted in them, asking how many hectares were there in Sakana no Kuni and if I'd ever met a moose and other such ridiculousness. Although considering what came later, it wasn't that bad.

"You fought in the second war, didn't you?…what was it _like_?"

"Bloody," says Kanade, her voice more hushed than usual, almost down to a normal speaking level.

"_All_ wars are bloody, Kanade-san! Or they wouldn't really be wars, would they?"

"Not necessarily. Sometimes a war is nothing more than a collection of threats from countries with lots of long-ranged missiles," she says, shrugging, and then resuming her earlier action of staring at the ceiling fans.

"It was…mostly fought elsewhere. Ame no Kuni, Sora no Kuni…no damage was done to Konoha, and only a tiny bit was done to Hi no Kuni."

"Do you think _this _war'll be like that?" he asks, in a slightly anxious tone.

"No." And you have no idea how very very different they will be.

"But remember, Obito-kun…generals are always prepared to fight the _last _war," announces Kanade out of nowhere.

Then, in an even tinier voice, barely audible to me and I am standing right next to him, he asks, "Do you think I'm going to die? I don't want to die."

"I…don't know." And now the song from his memorial is running through my head. How irritating.

* * *

><p>Downstairs there are mixed reactions to the news.<p>

Misuko is as outwardly shocked as Keiichi was; that is, not at all. Even I envy her unflappable composure; I do not think I have ever seen her with any expression of surprise, even that one time Inabi flying-tackle-hugged her.

Ryushi I'm fairly sure is reading something under his desk but he is excited.

"Those Iwans never know when to stop, do they?" he asks. "Got to be stopped." He was excited too during our plannings of the coup when we discussed the most violent measures of achieving our goal. I make sure to not turn around when leaving his office.

Masaharu, who is so soft-spoken and weak-seeming I often wonder why he is a ninja at all, looks like he was about to pass out. In the most trembly voice I think I've ever heard he says "Thank you for telling me," and returns to his work, a crime dossier spread open on the wobbly table.

The mailroom people, who if I recall correctly, are right now a Hyuuga on six month disability, two civilians, and a nine year old, are shocked. The Hyuuga drops the envelope he was holding, and the nine year old falls against a filing cabinet. Before I leave one of the civilians hands me a letter. Back in the hall I can hear low voices, and although I somehow doubt they're working, I don't blame them.

Kazushi is very old and can barely hear me. I write him a note instead, although not on a sticky square. His desk is low and rough hewn, and it's a reminder of what once was. On it is a faded red and white uchiwa. It's the only uchiwa I've seen this whole time that wasn't on someone's clothing.

Tanezane is both hard of hearing and hard of sight, so Kanade volunteers to tell him. Obito and I are a safe distance away, of course.

Then there is Minoru. Minoru is, like Tsuneoki, one of the few non-Uchiha here. And I hate him.

…well, perhaps that is a bit harsh. Near the end he barely complied with my or any other Uchiha's orders; and Inabi once complained that he was painting over the uchiwas on the walls. The only reason I didn't get rid of him is because he is exceedingly good at what he does.

I've tried to avoid him, though. Actually, I don't think I've talked to him at all since I've been…back.

He turns as he hears me approach, and rises from his chair. I brace myself for an attack.

Minoru bows, and in an even tone asks, "How may I help you, Fugaku-sama?"

Oh. How had I forgotten he was like this? My mind blurs, and his tied back auburn hair is black and the stress lines on his face are more pronounced and he is Itachi, scorn hidden beneath a lowered head. And-and-_no! _I won't let my memories control me!

I manage to return to a normal state of mind. "Konoha has declared war on Iwa. All able may be called to fight." He nods. I expect him to go back to whatever he was doing, but he does not.

"What are you working on, Minoru-san?" I ask. There are pictures pinned on a bulletin board, faintly familiar, and indecipherable scribbles on a miniature white board.

Stiffly enough to match me when I have to be with my in-laws, he responds, "The Nakamura case. There are only three suspects currently, but whoever it was must have had an accomplice. All those I have questioned have solid alibis, however, I have requisitioned their files from the Archives to check if any of them went to the Ninja Academy at all, in case they know how to Henge."

"Ah, then. Continue," He nods again, and sits back down, picking up a heavy manila folder.

We step back into the corridor. "Well, that's everyone," I announce. "Next the rest of the clan, yes?"

Obito looks quizzical. "Waiiit a moment here. That was _far_ too few people." He is counting on his fingers and mumbling something. "Eleven, to be exact, fifteen counting the mailroom people. Why is this such an Oddly Small Organisation?"

"Everyone else is out on patrol, idiot," Kanade says, playfully smacking the back of his head.

"Yes," I agree, but it's only partly the truth. There are not a lot of people joining the police force these days; most of the Uchiha consider it dull, and the rest consider it Uchiha-only. After the Kyuubi attack there were far more new recruits, despite there being fewer of us. It isn't hard to figure out why.


	7. Chapter 7

Uchiwa were painted on the walls of the police station after the Kyuubi attack to make people remember that they were that the Uchiha were not going to assimilate into the village, no way. Or something like that. (See also: "briett doesnt actually no how 2 rite")

and yes I realize that we now know who Shisui's father is, but _I don't care. _(if you do care, please don't send me angry messages about it!) and I am also aware that Takahashi is a family name, but, you know, so are Madison and Mackenzie.

* * *

><p>I call a clan meeting that evening. Itachi is safely asleep, looking serene and healthy and adorable, so Mikoto volunteers to help me set up. She has baked rolls and scones, decidely non-traditional food, and has found some lovely orange and purple tablecloths to throw over the scratched wood folding card tables we have shoved to the side. The atmosphere is very different than what it was at the last clan meeting I remember having. No lightbulbs have been purposely removed to make the room darker. Nor is the furniture quite so uniform; there is a mixture of cushions and chairs, in a variety of patterns and styles.<p>

People begin to file in. The chatter of the civilians is mostly "Oh, did you hear about Junko's baby? Did you listen to the game last night? Man, I can't believe Osariban's is closing", but among the ninja they are all mostly discussing, speculating, about what is to come. It is familiar to me _I think this coup is a terrible idea no it's not you're a traitor _except they all seem to be supporting Konoha.

That's another thing. The civilians. I can't remember how I dealt with this the first time around, but when we planning the coup (and that word sounds so awful now, makes me think of Hiraoka Kimitake and blood on all the walls, instead of family pride) we never invited civilians. But they knew. They did know. Some of them snuck into the meetings, tied cloth around their arms and borrowed their cousin's sandals and brushed their hair over their foreheads to conceal the lack of a hitai-ate, and although I could always tell who they were I never made them go. Sometimes I would get anonymous letters shoved under my door, saying they really agreed with me and were sad they would not be able to partake in the resurgence of the Uchiha clan as a major power, and sometimes old grannies would glare at me from behind their spectacles, whispering that I was going to get everyone killed.

But that was then. This is now. I take a deep breath, and begin to speak.

"Konoha has declared war on Iwa," I say, in the loudest voice I can manage.

The room erupts in flurry of whispers and murmurs and panic. Someone screams that didn't we just finish up with the last war, and someone else screams back that that war isn't even finished at all. It makes my head hurt.

I wait for the noise to reside before continuing.

"I hoped, hoped that it did not come to this, but our Hokage has decided that it is the best course of action. Remnants of Sunagakure no Sato puppets have been found as far east as Otafuku Gai for the past three months, last week Kumogakure no Sato has begun to attack Hi no Kuni trade caravans going through Ta no Kuni, and this afternoon an Uchiha chuunin was attacked in Kusa no Kuni by Iwa shinobi. We shall defend our village, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight in the forests, we shall fight in the meadows, we shall fight in the hills, and we shall never surrender. There will be many dark months, sorrowful hours, and shadowed weeks, but we shall persist. No matter our adversaries, no matter our opponents, no matter our enemies, the Will of Fire will continue to burn bright." I took a deep breath. "Thank you."

The room bursts into applause. It was kind of awesome, considering how quickly I had come up with that speech, using all the half-remembered snippets from the speech writing books I'd found in the library once. (And also considering that I mentioned the Will of Fire.)

The crowd begins to disperse. It is strange to me, considering that when we were planning the coup, I would shout angrily, and then other people would come up and shout angrily, and then we would open the floor for ideas, and then I would make a closing angry speech.

I step down from the dais. Several people, all a blur of black hair and black clothes, tell me things, but I do not entirely hear them, just smile and nod, smile and nod. I head towards the edges of the room, where there are fewer people, and you can feel the cool night air on your face from the slightly opened windows.

"Nice speech," says a woman leaning against the wall.

"Thanks," I reply absently. She's wearing a uniform shirt and trousers and her hair is covered by a red and white paisley scarf, but something about her seems distinctly foreign. I scrutinize her face for a moment. Wait...

"Kushina?" I say, surprised.

"Aww, man, you caught me," she replies, grinning.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, trying not to inject too much malice into my voice.

"Well, you know, everyone else is going to some big clan thing tonight or whatever, and you know, I didn't want to pontificate in front of the mirror, so I thought I'd hang out here." She's holding a rice cake. "'Sides, Miki-chan makes the best food."

"Oh."

"You're not kicking me out?," she asks, confusion evident in both her tone and on her face.

"No," I answer, and maybe I should have made her leave, but I can't imagine not having any family at all, and I feel sort of badly for her.

"Aww, thanks, man, you're the best," she squeals, and then she grabs my face and kisses me on both cheeks, and then dances off, probably to find my wife.

Kushina may be from Whirlpool, but she's really more of a whirlwind. I've heard rumours that she had a _thing_ for me once, when I was shining and heroic and she was still in the Academy. I wonder what my children would have turned out like had I had them with her.

Speaking of children, I should probably go and make sure Itachi is all right. It's so strange having someone in the house who is completely dependent on you.


	8. Chapter 8

_Sekai de ichiban ohime-samaaaaa _

I don't know who is playing pop music at maximum volume, but when I find out there will be hell to pay. Some of us are trying to _work_. Meito, or perhaps Reito, threw a stack of papers needing to be authorized onto my desk this morning, and I'm still not finished with them. Some people (like that Bureku Henri character in that terrible old war drama my parents like) will just sign off on things without reading them, but it's really not a very good idea. Currently I'm looking at something from the detective's union about their upcoming contract negotiations. (I do not know why we have a detective's union _and_ a patrolmen's union, but we do.)

My door is abruptly thrown open. It better not be Kanade. Or Yoshiro. Or Obito.

A very flustered young person (The androgyny of youth these days makes my head hurt sometimes) runs in. "Sorry to interrupt, sir, but the Hokage wants to see you immediately!" they shout.

I murmur thanks before opening my window to leave. (If I leave any other way, I will be bombarded by questions, comments, and lamentations, and would never get away from them.)

I do, however, enter the Hokage tower via the ground floor door, because it's rather rude to just jump into someone's window. There is a crowd of people, who all look like the sort of people who would be called to discuss the war, going down some long corridor off to the left instead of up to the Hokage's office, so I follow them. The destination: a conference room. I surely have been in here before, but I do not remember it. After the war there will not be enough jounin to merit using such a large space.

Once within commences the usual primary school shenanigans I wannnna sit with all my friennnds game, which jounin should really be above playing but evidently are not. I sit in the middle, close enough to the front of the room that I can easily see any diagrams or maps that are presented without the Sharingan, but not too close that it's suspicious (would they find that suspicious, here? I'm not sure. Perhaps.) To the right of me sits a young-ish man, maybe 35—Tachibana Some Girly Name I Don't Remember, and to the left of me...a certain redheaded young jounin.

"Yo, Fugaku-senpai," she says, grinning.

"Must you be so informal?" I ask, knowing full well what the answer is. "And why are you even here? I thought war was for adults only."

She laughs. "Hey, didn't realize you knew how to make jokes. And hey, I'm 22! That's an adult by anyone's standards, innit? 'Sides, you know, I'm the last Uzumaki, got some totally rad sealing powers, dattebane."

"You could be easily replaced by Jiraiya," I say, not entirely seriously.

"Aww, man, that hurts, it hurts a lot." She clutches her bosom dramatically. "I'm so much better than him."

"Really? Name one thing you surpass him in."

"_Attractiveness_," she whispers, and leans into me, until I can feel her hot breath on the back of my neck. Has she forgotten that I am married? To her _best friend_? (Perhaps when I thought yesterday that she had had a _Thing_ for me, I was thinking in the wrong tense.)

Suddenly someone bangs a gong to alert us that the meeting has begun, and all is silent.

The Hokage stands at the front of the room, not in his robes, but in his armor. It is in that old style reminiscient of samurai, and I realize that is the armor he wore during the _First_ World War. (They called it then the _War to End all Wars_; they had no idea how wrong they were.)

"I'm sure you all know why I have gathered you here today," he begins. "We have declared war on the village of Iwagakure no Sato."

People scream and shout and let it all out. It's so sophormoric, I cannot believe it. The gong rings again, and once again the room is still as the Naka no Kawa when it is frozen.

The Hokage does not look angry. It's very impressive considering the amount of disrespect he was just faced with.

"I did not wish for it to come to this, but come to it it did. It is necessary; it is needed; it is what we must do. Iwa has become increasingly aggressive, and already far too many of our comrades have been senselessly slaughtered by them. We must fight them, or we must die. Never shall the horrors of the Great War be repeated." He pauses, his head lowered. "But I am confident. We will survive." He stops, smiles, shakes out his stiff bones, waits. There is applause. It was not a long speech, but did he need one? Everyone already knew what he was going to say.

"And now, I will let Shimura Danzō discuss what our initial attack plan will be." He gestures off to a man standing behind him. Shimura looks...so much younger. (The Hokage to me looks basically just the same as when I was last in his office for, ah, _negotiations_.)

Shimura bows deeply to the Hokage, which surprises me but I suppose he has to act his part. He pulls down the screen at the back of the room, which turns out to be not a screen at all but a map, of Hi no Kuni and all surrounding it, going out to...1000 km, I think? I can see little red and blue dots of color on it. Presumably important points in what is to be our campaign.

He smiles. It is not a grandfatherly smile like the Hokage's one. It is a chilling one. If I were Iwa, I'd be shaking in my boots.

"We will begin with an offensive strike against Rarotonga." He gestures to a blue dot on the map. It is a...muncipality located just within Tsuchi no Kuni. I try to recall what happened to it, what will happen to it. My mind blanks. Perhaps nothing, then? "It is a very small village, but the destruction of it will send a very big message to the Tsuchikage. This we will do within the next month. There are already spies within the government of the Daimyo of Kaze no Kuni, and they have been instructed to force him to cut ties with Sunagakure no Sato, who has been indicated to be siding with Iwagakure no Sato..." Shimura speaks in a very dull tone. I really cannot pay attention. (Perhaps I could, if I actually cared about what he's saying. Besides, I'm sure every ounce of his speech will be carefully dissected tomorrow by my officers, who will make listen to them and their ruminations.)

Next to me I can feel Kushina stiffen. "What?" I whisper.

"He wants to do to Iwa what they did to Uzushio," she whispers back, her voice, quiet though it is, fraught with horror.

"That is all for this meeting. Thank you for your patience. You may leave, unless you have already been asked to remain or are a member of ANBU or the Konoha Military Police Force." I can't register who says this, but I can certainly register the last part.

I sigh. I am _so done_.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Firstly, because this is written in present tense and my other story AnkoSensei is written in past tense, I am going to get confused occasionally and write past tense in this story (and present tense there). Please do not be puzzled by this.

About dates: This is still the year Itachi was born. It's...September? Autumn sometime. The first time Fugaku experienced this war (i.e., canon, except for the starting date), it lasted three years, and then two years after that was the Kyuubi attack. Whether it will go that way here is yet to be seen.

Mikoto and Kushina are both twenty two. Fugaku is 28. (His birthday is in August.)

The Second Shinobi World War took place fifteen years before this story began, and the First Shinobi World War was twenty one years before that.

* * *

><p>Kushina seems to have been one of the people who has been asked to stay. I'm surprisingly happy about that. At least I know her, I guess.<p>

"Never knew you were a clandestine ANBU agent," I say, with a half smirk.

She tosses her red hair over her shoulder. "Oh, Fugaku-senpai, baby, there are a _lot_ of things you don't know about me." I am regretting being glad that she has remained.

I look around the room to try and see who else is here. Over across, there's – Nara Shikaku, yes, that is indeed him, and predictably next to him are Akimichi Chouza and Yamanaka Inoichi. I see a few Uchiha; Kagami is the only one I can identify from here. And, then, a flash of grey hair. Hatake Kakashi? No, wait, of course not. He's _ten_. And then it hits me: that's _Jiraiya_. And even more shockingly, he is flanked by Tsunade and Orochimaru. I had forgotten that they were still in the village. I catch a snippet of their conversation; Orochimaru is trying to convince Tsunade to put her whiskey away, while Jiraiya insists he was _totally_ sneaking something while Shimura was talking. Their apparent friendly camaderie is so unlike the versions of them I last saw.

Standing around the edges there are ANBU-nin, all in their uniform. There's one on the center-left that is a bit shorter than the rest and whose exposed skin is fairly pale, and I cannot help but think they are Itachi.

There are maybe thirty five people in here. Obviously not all the members of the police force or of ANBU were invited, or there would be significantly more. Probably a good thing; the rank-and-file doesn't really know how to plan major military campaigns, and they would just hinder our efforts.

(I assume this is a planning session. What else could it possibly be?)

Shimura, Utatane, and Mitokado are at the front of the room. I have never quite understood what Utatane and Mitokado's actual role in the government is. There are civilians in button-downs and blazers standing awkwardly near them. Dear heavens, are we having a ritual sacrifice or something? In the old record books in the Naka no Jinja, there are faded scrolls discussing how to prepare such an act—designed to ensure a good outcome of a battle. I have generally assumed we are beyond such things, but with Shimura Danzō, one really never knows.

The Hokage re-enters the room. I didn't notice him leave, but he is the Hokage for a reason. He is carrying paper, large folded scrolls, books, presumably material to be discussed.

He smiles at the now much reduced crowd. He's still wearing his armor, but is now also adorned with that silly red and white Hokage's hat. It must be for some highly significant reason I can not even begin to understand. I mean, it _must_ be.

"As Danzō-san explained, I have already begun to draw up the plans for our course of attack, but I wished to consult with the best of the village so as to ensure every angle is covered." Next to me Kushina whispers, "Didja hear that? Best of the village. Wow. _Awesome_." She needs to stop.

He continues. "With me I have my advisers, Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura, and representatives from Hi no Kuni Electric, Konoha Water Utility Company, and FireStar Heat and Ice." Oh, so they're here to explain how the war is predicted to affect our ability to make toaster pastries. Lovely. I don't know why this wasn't brought up at the general meeting because it really doesn't have much to do with planning a course of attack, but there's a reason why I'm not the Hokage. _Several reasons, _I hear a dark voice say. I really need to stop doing that. (I know some people say their dark voice is of their friends or dead people or whatever, but I am not that delusional. It's me.)

The map is still unfurled. I hope there isn't a repeat of the same speech of earlier, because I do not think I would be able to keep myself from falling asleep.

Utatane steps up into the center of the room. She and Shimura were the two who most fervently believed we were all evil and going to murder everyone. (Of course, in the end, they were sort of right.)

"The first wave will consist of a large-scale assault—a charge straight in, then straight out." I am reminded of Kanade saying that generals are always prepared to fight the last war, because we did that all the time then. Utatane seems to think so, too, because she continues, "This was effective against Ame no Kuni in the last war, and-"

"EFFECTIVE? YEAH, HALF OF EVERYONE BEING DEAD IS A PRETTY BIG EFFECT!" Jiraiya shouts. Everyone turns and stares. He is standing up, looking angry. Orochimaru and Tsunade manage to pull him back down to his chair. Utatane looks at the Hokage, opens her mouth like she's going to demand Jiraiya be thrown out, but the Hokage shakes his head. Oh, I'm curious, yeah. Why did Jiraiya care that much about Ame? Maybe Kushina would know. It seemed like something she would.

Utatane begins up again, right where she left off. "-we believe it will be equally...effective against Tsuchi no Kuni."

Except it's not. It's going to be stupid, and bloody, and pointless. Should I say that? Because if they continue with this plan, a lot of good men and women are going to die. They haven't considered that the people of Tsuchi no Kuni are a lot different from the people of Ame no Kuni; they are not half-starved and weak, living in a land of near constant rain and bad soil, and Iwa is not run by a petty, semi-pyschotic autocrat like Hanzō who paid attention only to his own village.

I remember the funeral of one of those who died in that first wave. No, not the funeral, that word seems to imply there'll be a burial after. Memorial. They never found his body. Takite Funatsu, Mikoto's second cousin-he was always such a nice, _quiet_ boy.

I say nothing, because...

I don't know why.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: So it seems there is an actual canon map of how the countries are laid out, but I did not know that when I started writing this story, so here's the map I'm using: On the western side, Hi no Kuni (Fire Country, if you haven't realized) is bordered by Tsuchi no Kuni (Rock) and Ta no Kuni (Rice; you know it as Oto/Sound.) On the northern side, it's bordered mostly by Kusa no Kuni (grass), and next to Kusa is Sekiyu no Kuni (Land of Oil, a place I just made up). The locations of other countries aren't really relevant right now; they're just not next to Hi no Kuni. Konoha is in the center-northern part of Hi no Kuni.

Also apologies for how unrealistic this is, and how unrealistic the whole war is going to be. My knowledge of how wars work comes mostly from history class, reading a very small part of _De Bello Gallico_, and M*A*S*H.

* * *

><p>Orochimaru is explaining how Konoha's chemical weapons program that we <em>apparently<em> have is going to aid in the first wave. He's listing things, long words I've never heard before; _phosgene_ and _ethyl bromoacetate _and other things, and then two I have heard before, _sulphur mustard_ and _chlorine_. He's saying how they'll make our enemies very easy to take out as long as we have gas masks.

The Hokage, Utatane, Mitokado, and even Shimura look disapproving. Orochimaru seems to realize this also.

"Is there something wrong with my plan?" he asks. "I am aware that chlorine is fairly obvious and relatively easy to defend against, but the others will be very useful in incapacitating hostile forces..."

They look amongst themselves, like they're trying to decide which of them is going to reply. Finally Mitokado speaks. "The problem with poison gas is that if we use it, the other side will use it too—despite its being made against international law in the Treaty of Denhagu—and I don't think our hospitals are equipped to deal with patients suffering from, say, mustard gas burns." I can tell that he wants to say more.

Orochimaru looks bemused. "Neither Iwa nor Suna have spent much time researching chemical weapons, and I do not think they will be able to procure them easily," he ejaculates.

"I still do not think using such agents are the best idea at the present time," says Mitokado, crossing his arms. He looks faintly angry. Orochimaru wisely decides to end the argument by sitting down.

Now it's time for those civilians to speak. I lean closer to the front of the room, so I can hear all of what is said. I really wonder what they have to say.

The first one to open his mouth introduces himself as Denki Minosuke of Hi no Kuni Electric. He is a young man, the curves of childhood still slightly hugging his face, and judging by his accent he is from Konoha. The business is based in the capital, but they probably figured we'd pay more attention to someone who was from here.

He goes up to the front of the room, where the map is. It's a different map than earlier; I am angry at myself for not noticing it was changed. Instead of being broad, it shows only Hi no Kuni and the very edges of the countries that border it. Red lines crisscross it.

Denki points to a lake a hundred kilometers to the south east of here. "The energy from the dam in Iri Mizumi is the primary source of Konoha's electricity. We have been closely monitoring all who go in and out of the facilities there to ensure there is no sabotage."

So if it's all good down yon, why does he need to be here? Waste of his time and ours.

Yet he continues.

"However, all of Hi no Kuni that receives service from Hi no Kuni Electric Company is connected." The crisscrossing red lines on the map make sense now. ("On the grid" is really a rather inaccurate phrase, isn't it?)

"One of our main power plants is in Toransu, which is less than twenty kilometers to the border. Some of you may remember when two circuit breakers in Bukanan were tripped, and it knocked out power for a week." I do not remember that, because it was before I was born. Nine months before I was born.

"If the Toransu plant were to be destroyed, the consequences would be enormous, far greater than those tripped circuit breakers. This is because it is the source of electricity for the majority of our customers, and their lights and fans and toasters would begin to suck out energy from the rest of the system."

The Hokage moves forward to speak. "Because of this, I have decided to delegate a group to defend the power plants, switching stations, and pylons along our border with Tsuchi no Kuni, as even though the hospital has generators, I feel that it would be a great drawback to our war effort if we were to lose power. Those adept in Fuinjutsu-" I can feel Kushina sit up more "-will be especially asked to join this group, so they can write seals to trap potential saboteurs."

Oh, so there was a legitimate reason for Electricity Boy to be here. What about Water and Heat, though?

Electricity Boy is not done yet, though. "Additionally, you may experience some interruptions in service in the coming weeks as we disconnect our wires that are connected to Kusa's grid, but we are working to ensure that any such interruptions are brief." Then he bows, and says, "Thank you. May the odds be ever in your favour."

Next up is the man from FireStar Heat and Ice. He is middle aged, thickset, wearing a too-small suit, and his voice, although outwardly in the flat accent of the capital, has the distinct undertones (and grammar) of a southern honey-stick drawl. He does not have a map.

"Uh," he begins, anxiously. "The kerosene we provide to Konoha is from Sekiyu no Kuni, on whom we are having currently good relations with, but we have also stockpiled much surplus. Says the Weather Service you are being predicted to have a mild winter so there is not much chance we will run out of kerosene for this winter. But our pipeline from them runs through Kusa no Kuni so if they are invaded we may have some problems." Listening to him makes my head hurt.

"And we have reason to believe Iwa plans to invade that land," says a new voice. Who? Oh. Yamanaka Inoichi. He's in Intelligence, isn't he?

"Indeed," says the Hokage. "And in this we are planning to open a dialogue with Kusagakure no Sato and the daimyo of Kusa no Kuni about our actions if Iwa does invade. A few ninja along with technicians will be sent on this mission..."

And now, I think I fully understand what we are doing here. This is not something where everyone will contribute ideas; this is where the Hokage says how we're going to war, with other people allowed to speak and even, in Orochimaru's case, allowed to put forth ideas the Hokage doesn't like, to create the illusion that we all have a say in this fight. I may not have my Sharingan on, but that doesn't mean I can't see through it.

The FireStar man says a few more things, something about a probable lack of ice next summer for iceboxes (and really, who has an ice box anymore?), sketches a bow, and moves off to the side.

And lastly there is the man from Konoha Water Utility Company, who I realize is not a man at all, but a woman with her hair pulled back wearing khakis and a loose plaid shirt. She moves more smoothly than the other two, and at first I think it is because of...feminine grace, or something, but then, when I examine the way she is standing more closely, I realize: she is a ninja.

"I am Hatake Sakuku," she says, and some people gasp faintly. Her hair, which I initially thought was platinum blonde, is not-it's white. "I am a retired jounin. Due to an...unfortunate incident in the last war, I was unable to continue being a ninja, so I decided to work for Konoha Water instead." She twirls a strand of hair that has fallen out of her elastic around her finger, and smiles. Did she really need to tell us her backstory? Probably actually yes, because otherwise people would wonder why they hadn't heard of her accomplishments. "Konoha's water is derived solely from sources within the walls of the village—there are wells near Kochichouate Mizumi, and a filtration plant on Jinsei-dori." I can't stand Jinsei-dori—it's very winding, and I always seem to somehow get lost on it. "We are, however, going to begin to send samples of the water to-ah-_Konoha's chemical research laboratory_ (by which she means "Orochimaru, and Orochimaru's creepy little minions") to be tested biweekly."

The Hokage steps forth once more. The people who have spoken before him, each time, have paused after their last sentence, like they knew he was going to interject something.

"I believe that the same protection we are going to afford to the power lines west of here should be afforded to the wells and filtration facility," he starts. "Since this is within the village, we will have most of those guarding it be those with dependents who are incapable of taking care of themselves to any degree." He uses the first person plural pronoun, but really he means the singular one. That last part, though—I will make sure to tell Tsuneoki of it at the earliest opportunity.

Hatake (that sounds so strange) smiles, again, her eyes becoming but slits, and with one last flourish, bows-unlike the others, it seems she has nothing else to say after the Hokage. I wonder if that is intentional. She, too, moves off to the side.

Yamanaka Inoichi comes up to speak. I think Morino Ibiki is the actual head of the Intelligence & Interrogation Department, but I suspect he was not asked to speak because he is a very obvious reminder of what happens to those who come into contact with the enemy. He uses a lot of long words but says nothing much in particular. It is another obfuscation tactic to make it seem like we're not just all marionettes, dancing around on thin horsehair strings. Scared screwdrivers and wretched wrenches in the toolbox.

Actually, one of the things nobody has brought up at all during this whole mess, as far as I know, is puppets. Which is surprising, because if I recall correctly, Suna is going to be using puppets a _lot_. Maybe it's because nobody here knows how to deal with them.

They will.

Someone who I don't know but introduces himself as the ANBU commander says some words, equally meaningless, and then Jiraiya talks briefly about our spy network or whatever.

And then they call _me_ up to talk.


	11. Chapter 11

I was not expecting this. What am I supposed to say? Kushina pushes me slightly. I stand and walk towards the front of the room like I know what I'm doing.

No, of course I know what I'm doing. I'm Uchiha Fugaku. Being surprised is for other people. Needing time to prepare a speech is for other people. Anxiety is for other people.

"I am Uchiha Fugaku, head of the Konoha Military Police. Already there have been crimes because of this conflict. We will be having more policemen and women on the streets in the coming weeks (_technically_ true, but only because a lot of people are just about to come off of injury leave; there are currently fewer cops on patrol than usual), and more detectives to guarantee that any fiends lurking about our streets are promptly identified as the beasts they are. (I don't actually think we need more detectives, but the detectives' union does, and a little security theater never hurt anyone). Additionally, we...(Dammit, what else can I say? I can't just spout off two sentences and sit down) will be hosting a self-defence course for civilians so that they will be more likely to be able to keep an attacker at bay while ninja arrive at their location." (And if anyone in the force doesn't like that idea, I will conduct said course myself, because I do try to be a man of my word.)

I can see the Hokage smiling at me (and his smile seems far less friendly than it did earlier), and I take that as a sign to sit down, so I do. Kushina squeezes my hand, and normally I would yank myself away from her, but right now it's comforting.

Tsunade talks about how the hospital is preparing. A man from the Konoha Cryptanalysis Team, which I was not even aware was a thing, talks about decoding enemy messages. Someone from the library (why) talks about research or something. All of it is stupid. This was not what I was hoping for. What use is there of knowing what is to come if you cannot use that knowledge?

And then, the magic words. "You are all dismissed." I immediately jump out of my chair, dragging Kushina with me—I had forgotten we were still holding hands. She raises an eyebrow, but says nothing. We are walking to the door, when Jiraiya approaches her, and says, "Uzumaki-san, would you meet me outside by the topiaries?" She tilts her head, like she's thinking it over, but agrees to do so.

Once we're outside, she turns to me, and says, "That seemed awfully polite for, you know, Jiraiya."

"I think he has something serious to say to you. Perhaps it is about fuinjutsu," I reply carefully. "I should go. I don't want to be a burden on your conversation."

"Aww, but then who's going to protect my innocence?" she says, pouting. "Please, Fugaku-senpai? Jiraiya makes me feel really uncomfortable."

He makes me feel uncomfortable too, but if I leave Kushina alone with him, she'll tell Mikoto and she'll start on me going all out all _you left her with that lecher? What if he had __done things__ to her?_So I stay.

Then Jiraiya appears again—with a young man in tow. Bright crayon-box blond hair and bright crayon-box blue eyes, that kind that looks unnatural, as opposed to the more subdued coloring of the Yamanaka. _Namikaze Minato_. Evidently, he is not yet deemed "important" enough to be invited to the stupid meeting we just got out of.

Jiraiya grins. "This, m'boy, is the kunoichi who's both the best at fuinjutsu and the best at being beautiful in Konoha," he says, winking at Minato. Kushina is not impressed.

"Yeah, yeah, thanks, old man," she replies, tossing her hair over her shoulder with her free hand. "I gots some totes rad sealing powers, yeah, yeah, we all know. So what do you want? I have a busy schedule, you know. No time for messing around with little flaxen ragamuffins." I can't believe someone can say both "totes rad" and "flaxen ragamuffins" in the same thought.

The man grimaces. "Well, I thought that with our combined powers of you and me and my little apprentice here, we'd be able to prevent any unsightly invaders mucking up the city, keep them from ruining your pretty face."

Kushina seems to actually be thinking about it. Perhaps it is because she knows what it is like to have one's village invaded; I have never been to Uzushio or what is left of it, but I have seen photographs, and they show naught but broken columns and crumbling temples, like a remnant of a long-ago empire except it wound up in that state not because of the wearies of age, but because of purposeful destruction. I can't imagine Konoha in that way; even after the Kyuubi attack, we were still clearly a village where people lived.

"Who's your apprentice, ero-densetsu-nin?" she asks. "Don't think I've seen him around before, and with that hair he'd be pretty hard to miss."

"That information is on a need-to-know basis," says Jiraiya, grinning again (his facial muscles must be so _sore_). "You know, got to keep the superpowerful ones under wraps so unscrupulous ones can't take advantage."

Kushina mumbles something about _yeah, I'm sure you know nothing about taking advantage, _but seeing as everyone's going to know who he is soon anyway, I feel it won't hurt for me to announce... "His name is Namikaze Minato. He's supposed to be a prodigy."

They look at me like they hadn't realized I was here. I am mildly insulted. "Do I even want to know why you're holding hands with Uchiha Fugaku?," asks Jiraiya, shaking his head.

"Oh my god, you're _that guy_!" she squeals, like she's suddenly remembered who he is. "That little blond moron who's always wanted to be Hokage! _You've managed to live to adulthood_! Whoaa."

He sighs, and smooths down the back of his hair with his hand. "Yeah...that's me. Made it to 22. Such an accomplishment." Ah, to come of age in peace! (The last war _officially_ ended when I was thirteen, but...)

"And if you really must know, Fugaku-senpai is here to protect my virtue from you, Ji-ra-i-ya," she says, glaring at him. For added effect I activate my Sharingan.

If you had told me before I died that I would wind up looking at Jiraiya through the lens of our kekkai genkai to protect an Uzumaki, I would have laughed at its absurdity.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Please don't try to overanalyze this chapter. It really doesn't make a lot of sense. I think the only thing it does in terms of storytelling is to let you know that everyone in the Police Department has issues.

* * *

><p>I am back at work. It is still only 3:30; there is no reason I cannot get some more paperwork done. Thankfully, whomever was playing that inane song earlier has ceased doing so.<p>

Let's see. How would I go about setting up those self-defence courses I mentioned? Hn...I had a book somewhere on my shelf titled _Kata for Civilians_. There were a few non-ninja in the force; it had been assumed that they might be better able to deal with the problems of other non-ninja. How well this worked was another matter, but I still had the book.

Oh, here we were. Right between _The Art of War_ (the cheap, staple-bound version. My lovely leather bound edition is at home) and _Crime and Punishment_. It, being a relatively thin book, looked highly out of place. It probably was; my whole bookshelf looked off. I had not perused its contents recently—perhaps I had learnt organizational skills sometime after my twenty-eighth year of life.

Hn...the self-defence chapter, that would be a good place to start. No, too impractical...oh, that one seems like something middle-aged merchants could be taught fairly easily. Who came up with this one, a Drunken Fist master? The quality of everything about it seems to vary page by page. That's the problem with books by committee.

Then, a knock on the door. I swear to all that is good and holy and hallow and sacred, if that's Obito or Kanade or Yoshiro or the Hokage or Uchiha Madara, there will be hell to pay. I cannot deal with more interruptions.

I say "Come in," nonetheless, because if it is the Hokage or Uchiha Madara (or Kanade or Yoshiro, really; only Obito seems like he has the ability to recognize that I am a _very busy man_) and I keep them waiting, they will not be amused.

It is Kagami. His dark hair looks fairly orderly for a change. I continually fail to understand why so many of my relations seem unable to use a comb.

"Hello, Fugaku-sama," he says, bowing deeply. He is—what do the kids say?—_old school_. So he believes in Showing Respect to the Clan Head No Matter What Even If You Think He Is Stupid And Weak and Ought to Be Disposed Of.

"Hello, Kagami-san," I reply, nodding. "What brings you here?" If some moron (by which I mean, of course, Uchiha Shisui) has glitterbombed the breakroom again, I am not dealing with it.

Oh, right. Uchiha Shisui is currently two.

Well, he was always a precocious child.

"Uchiha Taro has requested your presence at an emergency meeting to determine our reaction to that speech of the Hokage's we have recently attended..." He is very stiffly formal, always, and it's like wood on sandpaper.

" 'Our' reaction? Are we a hive mind now?" I ask, angrily. It's exactly that sort of mentality that later will...might...did lead to...bad things.

"I suppose you'd bee the queen, then, wouldn't you?" says someone not Kagami gleefully. It is Keiichi. His hair (which, for some reason no one has ever understood, is a sort of blueish teal) is hidden under his uniform shirt, which he is using as a scarf, and for a shirt he is wearing what appears to be blood-stained hospital scrubs. I do _not_ want to know. I _really_ do not want to know.

"Keiichi-kun, kindly remove yourself from this room," orders Kagami. "The adults are attempting to talk here." Oh, _snap_.

Keiichi looks offended. He's actually thirty, but he looks approximately seventeen. "Fine, fine, I'll just go back to attempting to heal your brother from the injuries he received from falling off the roof. _I_ know where I'm not wanted!"

….What. What.

"Takahashi was trying to fix the heating ducts," says Kagami, like it's no problem that his brother apparently fell of a roof. And surely it's not, with such competent medic-nin such as Keiichi taking care of him!

"Fine, fine, I'll go to Taro's thing," I say. Taro, though rather brash, is certainly better than listening to _these_ people.

Taro has set up a folding table in the copy room. I don't understand why he's not in our actual conference room. Maybe he feels there's more of a sense of urgency in here. Or something.

"The Hokage thinks we're all but his pawns, and he is the chessmaster!" he shouts, angrily, and I've heard it all before. Must they? Now?

"Yeah, like we're just expendable!" yells someone else.

"Just pretending to care about our opinions!" shouts a third.

I need to stop this, before it becomes something more, and all of these men (and one woman, I see Kichiko there in the back) are bleeding to death on their own tatami.

"Do you even know what you're saying?" I demand, and they all turn to stare at me. "The Hokage is the sole ruler of this village. That is how it is, how it has always been, and how it always will be. Who here does not know that? _Why would it be any different now_? You could be living in Kiri, you know..."

One person is clapping. I cannot tell who.

"Oh, like you've got room to talk! You do the same to us!" either Meito or Reito says. I want to hit my head against the wall.

"You're a third-rate detective. I am police chief. _Of course I do_." That...came out a bit more vitriolic than I had planned. Oh well.

The room stares at me even more.

"Are you saying we're all third-rate detectives, Fugaku-san?" asks Mori, arms akimbo.

"_Maybe I am_. And if you want to be anything more than third-rate, you should _get back to work_!" I activate my Sharingan, to be extra imperious.

They slowly start to move to leave. Good. There is no time for shouting and mindless slogans and anger and hatred and

all of that

I know what it devolves into

I have no desire to experience it again.

One of them approaches me. Dear Izanami, what is he going to say? It's...Tsuneoki. He does not look angry.

"I was the one who clapped, you know," he tells me, grinning.

"Oh. Well, thank you, then. It's good to know at least someone here understands how this village works." Then I remember the thing discussed at the meeting that would be important to him.

"You know, at that meeting, the one Taro is so...heated about, it was said that shinobi are wanted to protect the water filtration plant," I say, smiling, or at least trying to. "Which is...within the city walls."

He looks ecstatic. "Really? That's...that's wonderful. Thank you for telling me." I wonder what it's like, to be twenty one and trying to raise two small children, not even your own children, on patrolman's pay. (I wonder what would happen to them if he died.)

"How old are they?" I ask, because it is Important to Ingratiate Yourself to the Boys, my father always says.

"Well, Ujizane is two, and Naotora is eighteen months," he says, happily, and takes out his wallet, presumably to show me a picture. Indeed he does; there is a woman, with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes (his sister, I'm sure), with two babies on her lap, all shiny skin and wide eyes.

"That's Atsuko in the middle there," he mumbles. "She's—she's the reason I decided to join the KMPF, you know. 'Cause I wanted to make sure that no one else's husband did to their wife what that bastard Mitsuhide did to her."

That name sounds familiar. Why? Oh. He was found in the alleyway directly below his fifth-floor window. An accident, the coroner had ruled it; perhaps he'd had a bit too much to drink. Now I suspect it was an "accident". Well, then.

"That's a much better reason than the usual "Well, it's what my father did" most people are in here for," I tell him, cocking my head to the side. "Maybe you'll have some children of your own one day."

"No, I won't." This is said very definitively.

"You're young, Tsuneoki-san, you never know what's going to happen in the next few years...find a nice girl, settle down, the whole story." I'm trying to be as fatherly as possible, but my father was never one to give advice on such things, and I had given up on Itachi ever settling down with a nice girl (That's why you have an heir and a spare, you know.)

"No, I won't. Not gonna find a nice girl."

"And why is that? Don't be so jaded already."

And he looks around anxiously, as if to make sure we're truly alone in this room, and then whispers, "I'm gay."

Well. _Was not expecting that_. I don't really know how to respond to that, either, so I just say "Oh, then."

"That's all you have to say? That's all? Are you even capable of looking surprised?" he questions, and then immediately after, looks horrified, and bursts out, "I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean to be so disrespectful, sir," and bows. I can see his thin frame quivering. "

"It's okay, son," I murmur, and oh dear, did I just call someone five years younger than me "son"?

He hisses something that sounds like "Thank you" and then exclaims that he's really sorry but he's just remembered that someone in Human Resources was wanting to talk to him and he really doesn't want to be late, and rushes out.

I stand there, alone, remembering when I was a young man, lost in Sakumo's glittering black eyes...no! No! I have a wife! A very attractive wife!

Nonetheless I am very distracted the rest of the afternoon.


End file.
